Current organic (CHNO) explosives have energy liberation limitations based on the heats of combustion and heats of detonation of the constituent materials. In contrast, inorganic fuels can have total energy liberation values more than four times that of their organic counterparts. However, despite the higher energy liberation values, the rate of energy release for inorganic fuels is much slower than that found in organic explosives. Thus, inorganic materials, while desirable for their energy liberation characteristics, have proven to be less suitable in munitions and propellant applications.
While it is known that the use of highly reactive oxidizers can dramatically increase the energy release rate of inorganic fuels, the oxidizers also introduce additional complications. The handling, containment, safety, and stability concerns associated with such highly reactive oxidizers severely limit their use in munitions and propellant applications.